Mustang crashes into crowd at Reno

[evangilder]

Reposting from my photo analysis from facebook

There has been some debate about the photo provided by the AP of the Galloping Ghost "just seconds before the crash". I have to call BS. Let's take a look at the image as published.

Now let's rotate the image 90 degrees clockwise.

It looks like the perfect orientation for a static photo.

I need to add some aviation related stuff at this point. The propeller appears to be stopped, all the control surfaces are neutral with no visible deflection and it appears to have no one in the cockpit. Now lets look at other parts of this photo.

The reflection is horizontal! This leads to at the very least a question of the orientation of the photo. Also there appears to be considerable pixellation in the area around the spinner.

Now lets take a look around the rest of the aircraft and see. There appears to be considerable pixellation around the edges of the image, which is evidence of tampering.

It is my belief that this was a doctored photo passed off as a "just before impact" shot. It is quite an easy edit to do, but it is also not difficult to see the evidence of doctoring. There are clear signs that this photo started out as a static display that was edited to have the background and main landing gear edited out, then placed over a cloud sky photo.

This was a horribly tragedy that is getting a lot of visibility. It is the responsibility of he press to get the facts right. It is a disservice to the casualties of the event to publish doctored images.

 

[GrauGeist]

I agree Eric, and also note that the footage (and photos) of the Mustang going in were taken from the stands and photographer areas to the aircraft's starboard side...the runway/ramp area was to the aircraft's port side. Meaning that no personnel were out in that area - this "photo" we're seeing is a remarkably clear photo of the port side of the aircraft.

I call bullshit on that photo

 

[Mosshorn]

Here are two additional photos of the aircraft immediately before impact. Note how the prop is "stopped" and the tail wheel is down in both of these photos. I sincerely doubt that the photos in question were "doctored."

Moss

 

[Ratsel]

Something happened to the pilot during the flight, no question about it.

 

[rochie]

aside from the fact its the other side of the plane and they managed to take a perfect profile picture exactly 90 degrees side on and the lighting was just perfect as well, i am far from being an expert but i can see that !

and i trust Eric and Daves judgement on analysing the picture, so for me if they say its doctored then thats good enough

 

[GrauGeist]

Here is another photo of the aircraft immediately before impact. Note how the prop is "stopped" and the tail wheel is down in this photo as well. The photos in question were not "doctored."

Moss

This photo you posted may be accurate, since the angle (perspective) is correct. So is the shading and prop blur.

The photo we were discussing is not. The reflections in the spinner indicate a static aircraft with the reflections being along a horizontal line AND the angle the photograph was taken at would mean the photograph would have to have been taken DIRECTLY off the aircraft's port wing, meaning the photographer was either in an aircraft alongside or a high platform/tower...

 

[barney]

The vertical photo is a doctored fake. The AP was totally duped on that shot. I did a photo analysis on that photo and it is an obvious fake, IMO.

What about the inverted photograph, also a fake?

 

[Mosshorn]

The photo we were discussing is not. The reflections in the spinner indicate a static aircraft with the reflections being along a horizontal line AND the angle the photograph was taken at would mean the photograph would have to have been taken DIRECTLY off the aircraft's port wing, meaning the photographer was either in an aircraft alongside or a high platform/tower...

Just think about it for a split second. (It shouldn't even take that long.) If these photographs were indeed photoshopped, how did they know to: (1) drop the tail wheel AND (2) remove the pilot from view BEFORE any other photographs of the event were published?? Because the photographs in question were the very first.

It's no wonder how all those whacked out 9-11/UFO/Kennedy assasination conspiracy theories got going. Good grief.

Moss

 

[razor1uk]

I thought I could see a smudge just aft of missing tab with Mk1 eyeball, though that could image part of brain trying to make what it sees missing fit with a conciously known (pattern) and knowledge about aircraft...
As for the tail wheel, if and IF the cooling sytem and/or condensor tank ruptured violently, any debris could've severed controls and the tail wheels system, then rotational G forces extended it...

 

[evangilder]

Just think about it for a split second. (It shouldn't even take that long.) If these photographs were indeed photoshopped, how did they know to: (1) drop the tail wheel AND (2) remove the pilot from view BEFORE any other photographs of the event were published?? Because the photographs in question were the very first.

It's no wonder how all those whacked out 9-11/UFO/Kennedy assasination conspiracy theories got going. Good grief.

Bronc

Excuse me? Conspiracy theory? Are you out of your friggin mind? Did you LOOK at my analysis? Did you SEE the evidence? I am talking about one photo that was CLEARLY doctored.

Think I don't know what I am talking about, and a paranoid conspiracy theorist? I have taken well over 100,000 photographs, film and digital. I have been published many times in national publications multiple times with both photographs and articles. I have worked on aircraft in museums and flown over 150 hours as the GIB shooting. I think I have a pretty good idea of what is and what is not doctored, bub.

I am talking about the vertical photo only here. I am not questioning the other photos, nor am I raising conjecture about what happened, nor the cause. Aviation has had it bad enough this year without some dickhead editing a photo and dubbing it "seconds before the crash" when it clearly wasn't.

 

[FLYBOYJ]

Just think about it for a split second. (It shouldn't even take that long.) If these photographs were indeed photoshopped, how did they know to: (1) drop the tail wheel AND (2) remove the pilot from view BEFORE any other photographs of the event were published?? Because the photographs in question were the very first.

It's no wonder how all those whacked out 9-11/UFO/Kennedy assasination conspiracy theories got going. Good grief.

Bronc

Dude - I think you better do some research and find out about the backgrounds on some of the folks around here before you start defecating brain matter from your facial modulation orifice.

 

[model299]

As questions about whether these aircraft should even be flying have been asked before, I must say that racing at these speeds is a very unforgiving undertaking. I mean, think about it. Remember the Pond Racer, or Tsunami? both were modern, built from scratch aircraft constructed of all new materials. Heck, Tsunami wasn't even racing when it met it's fate. John Sandburg was in the process of landing.

I think age has very little to do with something like this.

RIP to all involved, and my condolences to family and friends.

 

[Mosshorn]

Three (3) different types of edge (photo-manipulation) analysis fails to show any, that is zero, alteration or photoshopping of the image. The Difference of Gaussians, Sobel and Prewitt compass analysis show sharp distinct edges which would not be the case with a photoshopped image. Furthermore, a digital mapping program reveals a smooth uniform image throughout. And just to be safe, Inversion analysis also fails to detect any alteration.

Sooo...with all due respect...unless the CIA/NSA altered this image, it's valid and unaltered.

Moss

 

[Gnomey]

I would tend towards Eric's judgement on these things but I have seen a video of the incident which I highly doubt is doctored.

Let us just be thankful that the death toll was so low in this horrific incident and hope we don't see a similar one anytime soon.

 

[FLYBOYJ]

In the shot of he aircraft going straight down, what happened to the pilot???? Even if he was incapacitated or even dead, you are strapped into these aircraft in such a matter that a body or torso would ALWAYS be seen, especially from the side. I've sat and flown in many military type aircraft including a P-51 (just sat in it) and I can tell you once strapped in you cannot move much or remove your body from being viewed from the side!!! Explain that one genius!

 

[model299]

I just visited the AP site, and noticed the've pulled the photo in question from their collection on this incident. That leads me to believe they now know it was doctored as well.

 

[evangilder]

I was not questioning the inverted image, only the vertical. Secondly, trying to do that kind of analysis on the image at that size is worthless. There are clear pixellation differences when you run up to 200 and 300%. It's as clear as day. And exactly where is the pilot? Why are all the control surfaces neutral when he would clearly be fighting the controls to get the aircraft under control again. Face it, the AP got duped, the MSM bought it hook line and sinker, and once again, the aviation community is left with even more legislation.

 

[evangilder]

Look again, at 300%, you can clearly see the pixellation, and just for the heck of it, I did a gaussian blur to eliminate the obvious pixellation. That would have helped...

Again look at the tail wheel area and the prop area. Clear evidence of tampering.

 

[razor1uk]

Are AP supposed to be important or something?; its not AP Racing Ltd.
Someone quickly made a killing out of selling those pictures to the media definately if ones of em's been pulled - send the federals in after the sick stnuC if it is true for doctoring. Before the media hide them/thier details, like as in the phone hacking scandles over here (which is just the tip of the media's 'little iceberg').

As Gnomey said earlier "...Let us just be thankful that the death toll was so low in this horrific incident and hope we don't see a similar one anytime soon."

 

[Ratsel]

In the shot of he aircraft going straight down, what happened to the pilot???? Even if he was incapacitated or even dead, you are strapped into these aircraft in such a matter that a body or torso would ALWAYS be seen, especially from the side. I've sat and flown in many military type aircraft including a P-51 (just sat in it) and I can tell you once strapped in you cannot move much or remove your body from being viewed from the side!!! Explain that one genius!

Hello FLYBOYJ,
perhaps as seen in this picture his head is only visable.

Perhaps his head was slumped over in the other pictures. In some of the pictures I've seen you cannot see the pilot in the cockpit. maybe enough to push the stick foward a little?